[megatronrules]

I dont know what press to get. I was thinking used for now. I will need dies and I dont know what else. Any help here would be great. A case of 1000 rounds of .45acp new cost around $169 to $200 DEPENDING WHERE YOU GO:( You must be able to load it cheaper. I have about a thousand rounds of brass here ready to go. I saved mine and picked up tons at the range:) What powder would i need? As you can see I know nothing about reloading but i want to learn. Thanks for any help.

[Johnny Guest]

First, what your intended use is. What kind of shooting do you want to do? What kind of handgun will you mostly use?

My standard for .45 ACP is a commercially-cast 230 LRN, (Mine are Kead brand.) in mixed range cases, primed with WLP primers and powered with 5.3 gr. of Win 231. This yields about 820 fps from a five-inch Colt Government barrel, and is plenty accurate enough for any puropse for which I'd use factory hard ball ammo. I set my COL with a round of factory FMJ ammo-- I believe this is 1.250, but you might double check me on this figure.

I load on a Dillon 550B press, and I can't say enough good about the Dillon dies with the easily removable inserts. You can pob a spring ring off and drop out the inserts of the seating and taper crimp dies for regular cleaning, without having to readjust the die body. They are more expensive than some dies, but are well worth it in my mind. Good carbide sizing die, separate taper crimp die included, and so forth. If you want to use these superior dies, and do NOT use a progressive press with powder-through-expander feature, you'll need an expanding ("belling") die as well.

If you're going to shoot your loads in a revolver, you might want to use a different bullet.

If you're just beginning to hand load, you have a lot of gear to buy. Let's talk about the press and other stuff a little later, after I do a search for a coupld of "Handloading Newby" threads.

Once you have a press and a few basic tools, and only need to buy the dies, the cost of loading .45 ACP will amortize very quickly. I buy my 231 powder four pounds at a time, and the lead bullets by the thousand. If I buy primers by the sleeve of 5,000, I can load high quality ammo for well under $4.00 per box. I could save more if I bought the bullets 5,000 at a time.

Some on the boards like to say, you don't really spend any LESS by reloading, you just get to shoot MORE for the same amount of money. There's some truth to this. But, I shot three matches this month, for a total outlay of about $34 in .45 ammo, including practice and function testing after modifications. That's less than half what factory ammo would have cost me. This saved me enough to pay for entry fees, gas, and a couple of lunches.

Added benefits - - - I spend the loading time at home, drinking diet sodas or coffee. The time at the range is out in the fresh air, and my wife is getting into the matches in a small way. I could do all this stuff without reloading, sure, but - - - -

More later - - -

Best,
Johnny

[Johnny Guest]

Okay, megatronrules - - -I was able to find this link easily. It is to a similar request from August 2002. Please check it out, and it will save a lot of your research time, and a lot of writing on this end. The thread is in the archives of the late, lamented The Firing Line board, which, while closed down, is still available for searches.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=124243&highlight=%2Anewby+to+loading%2A

My original answer from that thread is below, but the information from other responders is well worth reading. Again– No one is ignoring you personally, but, Why re-invent the wheel? Cruise through the links indicated below, and we’ll be glad to answer more particular questions.

I just hapened to be familiar with the above information. Now that The High Road has been around for a few months, you might also want to do a search for "starting in loading," and the like, here on THR.

Best,
Johnny

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Getting Started in Reloading - - -
Hi, and welcome to H&R Forum of The Firing Line. I hope we'll see a lot of you.

Yours is a very normal question in this forum. Sometimes it gets a lot of responses, and sometimes, when the active members have replied to such recently, they may not spend the time. Let me suggest you begin by reading the following threads. I think MOST of your start-up questions will be addressed. At least, you'll have a point of departure to request more particular information.

Please believe--No one is blowing off your quite legitimate question --- Just trying to handle it efficiently.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...threadid=123629

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started

http://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...&threadid=98073

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums...Getting+started

This is the result of ten minutes with the search function, using key words "Getting Started" in this forum. "Newby," "Newbie," and "Beginner" will probably yield a bunch more.

You'll find a wealth of good information hereabouts. I hope hand loading and reloading give you as much pleasure as they have me.
Best,
Johnny Guest
H&R Forum Moderator

[megatronrules]

Thanks for the help guys :) This is a ton of info :) I will be using a 1911 5inch gun, just range shooting. Thanks again for the info.

[45Badger]

I ditto everything Johnnyguest said, except I prefer FMJ to lead.

What press are you looking at? I've also got a 550, and it is amazing. The convenience of their new die sets cannot be beat! Had a SDB before that and it worked great. You should get a good scale, calipers, and a bullet puller. And a reloading manual or two.

Jeff Bartlett (www.gibrass.com) has very good pxing on 230 fmj projectiles. Win 231 powder is very forgiving, and meters well. WLP primers work great for me also.

Enjoy!

[WhoKnowsWho]

I have been looking at getting a Turret press from Lee, I don't think I shoot enough for a Dillon progressive or anything, though they are nice.

Haven't made the order for everything yet, been trying to hunt down used stuff from ebay and other locations, a vibratory cleaner is on my high list of getting used. And in the meantime, I am saving my brass and reading up some more.

There are so many options out there for bullets, let us know what you finally decide to try. Even just in this post, one uses lead, another prefers FMJ, I have been thinking about trying the plated bullets from West Coast. And since the bullets seem to be the most expensive and shortest lasting ingredient, I want to choose the right one.

And pick up the ABC's of Reloading book, very nicely done, tons of information. It will give you a good idea of what is needed and what is entailed in the actual process.

[Steve F]

I have the Lee turret press and I'm very happy with it for the amount of ammo I reload,the best feature is the ability to change calibers in about 5 seconds:):D

[Johnny Guest]

The FMJ vs. Plated vs. bare lead thing is purely a matter of economics. I can load and shoot more bare lead-- Let's just say CAST lead, as I don't care for swaged bullets for auto pistol use - - for the same amount of money, USUALLY.

Had I started loading 25 years later, I'd probably be standardized on plated bullets, and wondering at the parsimonious souls who cling to cheap but messy lead. As it is, I can shoot more for the same amount of money, using cast bullets, and, really, the cleanup isn't bad. Also, if one shoots a great, huge, ENORMOUS, amount of ammo, the lead bullets are probably a little easier on the bore.

Just last night, I loaded some 600 plated 200 gr. SWC bullets and the resulting loads DO look pretty. Happens I found these bullets on a great sale a year or so back, and have just left them on the shelf. Then I loaded myself out of the 230 LRN business and my supplier was out when I saw him at the match last Sunday.

My main goal in handgun loading is to produce a near duplicate of factory ammo for general practice. That way, I don't have to worry about changing sight settings or pondering over a different hold while under pressure. The only handgun loads I try to "improve" are .45 Colt and .44 Special. It is difficult to locate a healthy-but-not hot .44 Special load. Most of my .45 Colt loads are fired in an N-frame S&W, so I want warmish with a good, heavy, SWC bullet, but NOT rhino rollers.

If economics is a factor, you'll find it is pretty easy to work up a solid bullet load which duplicates the trajectory of expensive factory JHP rounds for practice. Without a machine rest, you'd be hard put to see the difference in point of impact. Same goes for purchase of premium bullets for loading. I really like Hornady XTP bullets for hunting, but I just can't afford to buy enough to practice and shoot matches the way I enjoy doing.

In any case, welcome to the wonderful world of hand loading & reloading. Please keep us apprized of your progress.

Best,
Johnny

[Calanctus]

I have a Lee turret I've used for reloading 9mm. I couldn't recommend a better way to get started in reloading. The price is right, gets the job done, and switching calibers is a breeze. The red cylindrical cases for the Lee 3-die sets also store the turret and dies when you're not using them, which is very convenient. I'd highly recommend getting a set of carbide dies, which let you size the brass WITHOUT lubrication. Also, get a couple GOOD reloading manuals, plus the powder manufacturer's data.

http://www.stevespages.com/page8.htm has a TON of great tips, advice, downloads and data.

Absolute must-haves:
Press
Manuals (I like the Lyman manual, includes pressure data)
Powder Scale
Dies
Components
Journal to keep track of loads
Calipers (to check seating depth, etc.)

Real nice to have:
Powder Measure
Powder Trickler
Case Cleaner
Case Trimmer
Deburring/Chamfer tools
Bullet Puller